The Road Transport and Safety Agency has intensified traffic law enforcement patrols on highways to curb road accidents as directed by President Edgar Lungu.
RTSA Acting Director and Chief Executive Officer Gladwell Banda say the Agency will double its efforts to increase the presence of RTSA officers on the highways as directed by the President.
“The patrols are targeting un-roadworthy vehicles, excessive speeding motorists, drunken drivers and compliance to statutory documents such as Driving Licences, Road Licences, and permits, including general road safety rules and regulations such as adherence to fastening seat-belts and non use of cell phone while driving,” Mr. Banda Said.
He has disclosed that RTSA in collaboration with Zambia Police Traffic Section will be conducting motorized and non-motorized patrols adding that the Agency will also ensure that all broken down vehicles causing obstruction on the roadway are removed to avoid the risk of road traffic accidents.
“I have with immediate effect directed all RTSA Provincial offices to get on the ground to ensure that we put an end to the escalating incidences of road traffic accidents especially on the highways,” Mr. Banda said.
“To model safe and courteous behaviour on the Zambian road network, the Agency has enhanced road safety education, to promote the use of proper signage of triangles to alert other motorists whenever there is a broken down vehicle on the roadway,” He said.
The patrols stem from a spate of accidents along the highways with the latest accidents this week along the Chingola-Kitwe road and Great North road respectively, leaving eight people dead and several injured in the two separate road accidents.
In a statement, Mr Banda described the accidents as unfortunate adding that RTSA will not allow the continued loss of lives due to road traffic accidents and will ensure total adherence to road traffic rules and regulations by all road users.
SO FROM HAVING POLICE BLOCKS EVERY 10 KILOMETRES WE WILL NOW HAVE EVERY 5 KM’S AND RATSA OFFICIALS CANNOT BELIEVE THEIR LUCK ALREADY THEY ARE DREAMING OF BANK ACCOUNTS GROWING WITH MONEY FROM BRIBES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is so sad…….for things to work properly , lungu has to issue directives ???
This is indicative of failour of leadership.
Systems need to be put in place to ensure this is part of operations, not mere window dressing and opportunistic politicking……Lungu should have demanded a system be put in place for such…..
How many times has lungu put on gum boots to go a clean garbage , with out making sure systems are out in place to make sure cleaning is part of council operations ???
We say lungu is just after photo opportunities and deliberately sees to it no systems are in place.
Opportunistic leadership.
duh, RTSA seriously had to wait for the president’s directive?
It means RTSA don’t know their duties were by they have to wait for the president to say a word